Identifying accounts having shared credentials

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for identifying accounts having shared credentials. In some implementations, a content management system can collect user login context data when a user logs in to or accesses a user account of the content management system. For example, the content management system can collect client device data, client application data, internet protocol (IP) address data, and/or other data from the user&#39;s device when the user logs in to the user account. The content management system can analyze the login context data to determine patterns that indicate that the user account login credentials are being shared among multiple users.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/576,006,filed Sep. 19, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/166,194, filed May 26, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,469,497,issued Nov. 5, 2019, which are incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND

Modern computing systems allow users to share content in many ways.Users can exchange emails, exchange storage devices, and use variousnetwork services to share and exchange data. For example, a user cancreate an account with an online content management system that allowsthe user to store, edit, and share content items with other users whomay or may not have accounts with the online content management system.While the online content management system may be configured to serviceone user per account, users have come to realize that they can sharedata with other users by sharing the login credentials for the sameaccount. For example, a first user can create a user account with thecontent management system, store content items in the user account, andthen share the login credentials required to log in to the user accountwith a second user so that the second user can access the stored contentitems.

SUMMARY

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosedprinciples. The features and advantages of the disclosure can berealized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and otherfeatures of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from thefollowing description and appended claims, or can be learned by thepractice of the principles set forth herein.

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readablestorage media for identifying accounts having shared credentials. Insome implementations, a content management system can collect user logincontext data when a user logs in to or accesses a user account of thecontent management system. For example, the content management systemcan collect client device data, client application data, internetprotocol (IP) address data, and/or other data from the user's devicewhen the user logs in to the user account. The content management systemcan analyze the login context data to determine patterns that indicatethat the user account login credentials are being shared among multipleusers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-recited and other advantages and features of the disclosurewill become apparent by reference to specific embodiments thereof whichare illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only example embodiments of the disclosure and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principlesherein are described and explained with additional specificity anddetail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of devices and a network inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system for identifying accountshaving shared credentials;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example login context database;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process for identifying accountshaving shared credentials;

FIG. 5A shows an example possible system embodiment for implementingvarious embodiments of the present technology; and

FIG. 5B shows an example possible system embodiment for implementingvarious embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below.While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that other components and configurationsmay be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for identifyingaccounts having shared credentials. When users share credentials to asingle content management system account, it may be difficult for thecontent management system to detect or determine that the user accountis being shared between multiple users. The technology describe hereinprovides a mechanism by which shared user accounts and/or shared logincredentials can be detected.

With respect to implementing various embodiments of the disclosedtechnology, an example system configuration 100 is shown in FIG. 1,wherein electronic devices communicate via a network for purposes ofexchanging content and other data. The system can be configured for useon a wide area network such as that illustrated in FIG. 1. However, thepresent principles are applicable to a wide variety of networkconfigurations that facilitate the intercommunication of electronicdevices. For example, each of the components of system 100 in FIG. 1 canbe implemented in a localized or distributed fashion in a network.

In system 100, a user can interact with content management system 106(e.g., an online synchronized content management system) through clientdevices 102 ₁, 102 ₂, . . . , 102 _(n) (collectively “102”) connected tonetwork 104 by direct and/or indirect communication. Content managementsystem 106 can include a single computing device (e.g., a server) ormultiple computing devices (e.g., multiple servers) that are configuredto perform the functions and/or operations necessary to provide theservices described herein. Content management system 106 can supportconnections from a variety of different client devices, such as: desktopcomputers; mobile computers; mobile communications devices, e.g. mobilephones, smart phones, tablets; smart televisions; set-top boxes; and/orany other network enabled computing devices. Client devices 102 can beof varying type, capabilities, operating systems, etc. Furthermore,content management system 106 can concurrently accept connections fromand interact with multiple client devices 102.

A user can interact with content management system 106 via a client-sideapplication installed on client device 102 _(i). In some embodiments,the client-side application can include a content management systemspecific component. For example, the component can be a stand-aloneapplication, one or more application plug-ins, and/or a browserextension. However, the user can also interact with content managementsystem 106 via a third-party application, such as a web browser, thatresides on client device 102 _(i) and is configured to communicate withcontent management system 106. In either case, the client-sideapplication can present a user interface (UI) for the user to interactwith content management system 106. For example, the user can interactwith the content management system 106 via a client-side applicationintegrated with the file system or via a webpage displayed using a webbrowser application.

Content management system 106 can enable a user to store content items,as well as perform a variety of content management tasks, such asretrieve, modify, browse, and/or share the content items. Furthermore,content management system 106 can enable a user to access the contentfrom multiple client devices 102. For example, client device 102 _(i)can upload content to content management system 106 via network 104.Later, the same client device 102 _(i) or some other client device 102_(j) can retrieve the content from content management system 106.

To facilitate the various content management services, a user can createan account with content management system 106. User account database 150can maintain the account information. User account database 150 canstore profile information for registered users. In some cases, the onlypersonal information in the user profile can be a username and/or emailaddress. However, content management system 106 can also be configuredto accept additional user information such as birthday, address, billinginformation, etc.

User account database 150 can include account management information,such as account type (e.g. free or paid), usage information, (e.g. fileedit history), maximum storage space authorized, storage space used,content storage locations, security settings, personal configurationsettings, content sharing data, etc. Account management module 124 canbe configured to update and/or obtain user account details in useraccount database 150. The account management module 124 can beconfigured to interact with any number of other modules in contentmanagement system 106.

An account can be used to store content items, such as digital data,documents, text files, audio files, video files, etc., from one or moreclient devices 102 authorized on the account. The content items can alsoinclude collections for grouping content items together with differentbehaviors, such as folders, playlists, albums, etc. For example, anaccount can include a public folder that is accessible to any user. Thepublic folder can be assigned a web-accessible address. A link to theweb-accessible address can be used to access the contents of the publicfolder. In another example, an account can include: a photos collectionthat is intended for photos and that provides specific attributes andactions tailored for photos; an audio collection that provides theability to play back audio files and perform other audio relatedactions; or other special purpose collection. An account can alsoinclude shared collections or group collections that are linked with andavailable to multiple user accounts. The permissions for multiple usersmay be different for a shared collection.

The content items can be stored in content storage 160. Content storage160 can be a storage device, multiple storage devices, or a server.Alternatively, content storage 160 can be a cloud storage provider ornetwork storage accessible via one or more communications networks.Content management system 106 can hide the complexity and details fromclient devices 102 so that client devices 102 do not need to knowexactly where or how the content items are being stored by contentmanagement system 106. In some embodiments, content management system106 can store the content items in the same collection hierarchy as theyappear on client device 102 _(i). However, content management system 106can store the content items in its own order, arrangement, or hierarchy.Content management system 106 can store the content items in a networkaccessible storage (NAS) device, in a redundant array of independentdisks (RAID), etc. Content storage 160 can store content items using oneor more partition types, such as FAT, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2, EXT3, EXT4,HFS/HFS+, BTRFS, and so forth.

Content storage 160 can also store metadata describing content items,content item types, and the relationship of content items to variousaccounts, collections, or groups. The metadata for a content item can bestored as part of the content item or can be stored separately. In onevariation, each content item stored in content storage 160 can beassigned a system-wide unique identifier.

Content storage 160 can decrease the amount of storage space required byidentifying duplicate content items or duplicate segments of contentitems. Instead of storing multiple copies, content storage 160 can storea single copy and then use a pointer or other mechanism to link theduplicates to the single copy. Similarly, content storage 160 can storecontent items more efficiently, as well as provide the ability to undooperations, by using a content item version control that tracks changesto content items, different versions of content items (includingdiverging version trees), and a change history. The change history caninclude a set of changes that, when applied to the original content itemversion, produce the changed content item version.

Content management system 106 can be configured to support automaticsynchronization of content items from one or more client devices 102.The synchronization can be platform agnostic. That is, the content itemscan be synchronized across multiple client devices 102 of varying type,capabilities, operating systems, etc. For example, client device 102_(i) can include client software, which synchronizes, via asynchronization module 132 at content management system 106, content inclient device 102 _(i)'s file system with the content in an associateduser account. In some cases, the client software can synchronize anychanges to content in a designated collection and its sub-collections,such as new, deleted, modified, copied, or moved content items orcollections. The client software can be a separate software application,can integrate with an existing content management application in theoperating system, or some combination thereof. In one example of clientsoftware that integrates with an existing content managementapplication, a user can manipulate content items directly in a localcollection, while a background process monitors the local collection forchanges and synchronizes those changes to content management system 106.Conversely, the background process can identify content items that havebeen updated at content management system 106 and synchronize thosechanges to the local collection. The client software can providenotifications of synchronization operations, and can provide indicationsof content statuses directly within the content management application.Sometimes client device 102 _(i) may not have a network connectionavailable. In this scenario, the client software can monitor the linkedcollection for content item changes and queue those changes for latersynchronization to content management system 106 when a networkconnection is available. Similarly, a user can manually start, stop,pause, or resume synchronization with content management system 106.

A user can view or manipulate content via a web interface generated andserved by user interface module 122. For example, the user can navigatein a web browser to a web address provided by content management system106. Changes or updates to content in the content storage 160 madethrough the web interface, such as uploading a new version of a contentitem, can be propagated back to other client devices 102 associated withthe user's account. For example, multiple client devices 102, each withtheir own client software, can be associated with a single account andcontent items in the account can be synchronized between each of themultiple client devices 102.

Content management system 106 can include a communications interface 120for interfacing with various client devices 102, and can interact withother content and/or service providers 109 ₁, 109 ₂, . . . , 10 ₉.(collectively “109”) via an Application Program Interface (API). Certainsoftware applications can access content storage 160 via an API onbehalf of a user. For example, a software package, such as an apprunning on a smartphone or tablet computing device, can programmaticallymake calls directly to content management system 106, when a userprovides credentials, to read, write, create, delete, share, orotherwise manipulate content. Similarly, the API can allow users toaccess all or part of content storage 160 through a web site.

Content management system 106 can also include authenticator module 126,which can verify user credentials, security tokens, API calls, specificclient devices, and so forth, to ensure only authorized clients andusers can access content items. Further, content management system 106can include analytics module 134 module that can track and report onaggregate file operations, user actions, network usage, total storagespace used, as well as other technology, usage, or business metrics. Aprivacy and/or security policy can prevent unauthorized access to userdata stored with content management system 106.

Content management system 106 can include sharing module 130 formanaging sharing content publicly or privately. Sharing content publiclycan include making the content item accessible from any computing devicein network communication with content management system 106. Sharingcontent privately can include linking a content item in content storage160 with two or more user accounts so that each user account has accessto the content item. The sharing can be performed in a platform agnosticmanner. That is, the content can be shared across multiple clientdevices 102 of varying type, capabilities, operating systems, etc. Thecontent can also be shared across varying types of user accounts.

In some embodiments, content management system 106 can be configured tomaintain a content directory identifying the location of each contentitem in content storage 160. The content directory can include a uniquecontent entry for each content item stored in the content storage.

A content entry can include a content path that can be used to identifythe location of the content item in a content management system. Forexample, the content path can include the name of the content item and afolder hierarchy associated with the content item. For example, thecontent path can include a folder or path of folders in which thecontent item is placed as well as the name of the content item. Contentmanagement system 106 can use the content path to present the contentitems in the appropriate folder hierarchy.

A content entry can also include a content pointer that identifies thelocation of the content item in content storage 160. For example, thecontent pointer can include the exact storage address of the contentitem in memory. In some embodiments, the content pointer can point tomultiple locations, each of which contains a portion of the contentitem.

In addition to a content path and content pointer, a content entry canalso include a user account identifier that identifies the user accountthat has access to the content item. In some embodiments, multiple useraccount identifiers can be associated with a single content entryindicating that the content item has shared access by the multiple useraccounts.

To share a content item privately, sharing module 130 can be configuredto add a user account identifier to the content entry associated withthe content item, thus granting the added user account access to thecontent item. Sharing module 130 can also be configured to remove useraccount identifiers from a content entry to restrict a user account'saccess to the content item.

To share content publicly, sharing module 130 can be configured togenerate a custom network address, such as a uniform resource locator(URL), which allows any web browser to access the content in contentmanagement system 106 without any authentication. To accomplish this,sharing module 130 can be configured to include content identificationdata in the generated URL, which can later be used to properly identifyand return the requested content item. For example, sharing module 130can be configured to include the user account identifier and the contentpath in the generated URL. Upon selection of the URL, the contentidentification data included in the URL can be transmitted to contentmanagement system 106 which can use the received content identificationdata to identify the appropriate content entry and return the contentitem associated with the content entry.

In addition to generating the URL, sharing module 130 can also beconfigured to record that a URL to the content item has been created. Insome embodiments, the content entry associated with a content item caninclude a URL flag indicating whether a URL to the content item has beencreated. For example, the URL flag can be a Boolean value initially setto 0 or false to indicate that a URL to the content item has not beencreated. Sharing module 130 can be configured to change the value of theflag to 1 or true after generating a URL to the content item.

In some embodiments, sharing module 130 can also be configured todeactivate a generated URL. For example, each content entry can alsoinclude a URL active flag indicating whether the content should bereturned in response to a request from the generated URL. For example,sharing module 130 can be configured to only return a content itemrequested by a generated link if the URL active flag is set to 1 ortrue. Thus, access to a content item for which a URL has been generatedcan be easily restricted by changing the value of the URL active flag.This allows a user to restrict access to the shared content item withouthaving to move the content item or delete the generated URL. Likewise,sharing module 130 can reactivate the URL by again changing the value ofthe URL active flag to 1 or true. A user can thus easily restore accessto the content item without the need to generate a new URL.

While content management system 106 is presented with specificcomponents, it should be understood by one skilled in the art, that thearchitectural configuration of system 106 is simply one possibleconfiguration and that other configurations with more or fewercomponents are possible.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system 200 for identifyingaccounts having shared credentials. For example, system 200 cancorrespond to system configuration 100 of FIG. 1.

In some implementations, system 200 can include content managementsystem 106. For example, users of content management system 106 can signup or register for accounts with content management system 106 to gainaccess to the features and services provided by content managementsystem 106. For example, a user can interact with content managementsystem 106 through a web interface using a web browser running on userdevice 220 to create a user account with content management system 106.When creating the account, the user can configure the user account withan account identifier (e.g., user name, email address, etc.) and apassword (e.g., a string of characters, numbers, letters, etc.) that canbe used by content management system 106 to authenticate the user as theowner of the user account (e.g., according to well-known mechanisms).After creating the user account, the user can create, store, and/orshare content items using the features and services provided by contentmanagement system 106.

In some implementations, content management system 106 can includeauthenticator module 126. As described above, authenticator module 126can be configured to authenticate a user to confirm that the user shouldbe granted access to a user account. For example, a user of user device220 (or user device 230) can use content management system client (CMS)222 (or CMS client 232) to log in to content management system 106. Userdevice 220 can, for example, correspond to client device 102 _(i) ofFIG. 1. CMS client 222 can, for example, be a native client built tooperate on user device 220. CMS client 222 can be a web browser thatpresents a web client interface on user device 222. The user can provideinput to user device 220 to provide the account identifier and passwordfor the user's user account on content management system 106. Userdevice 230 can be configured similarly to user device 220 and can alsobe used to log in to content management system 106. When contentmanagement system 106 receives the account identifier and password,authenticator module 126 can authenticate the user as the owner of theidentified account based on the password.

In some implementations, content management system 106 can storehistorical login context data. For example, whenever a user logs in to auser account on content management system 106, authenticator module 126can store login context data in login context database 204. When a user(e.g., using CMS client 222 on user device 220, or CMS client 232 onuser device 230) logs in to content management system 106, authenticatormodule 126 can create a time-stamped record in login context database204 that includes login context data for the current session (e.g.,connection) with content management system 106. The login context datacan include device information, such as device type, device identifier,device configuration, etc. The login context data can include softwareinformation, such as operating system identifier, operating systemsettings, client application identifier, client application settings,etc. The login context data can include network information, such as theIP address of the device, communication session information, etc. Whenmultiple users are using different devices (e.g., user device 220, userdevice 230, etc.) at different locations login context database 204 willhave records indicating that different devices having differentconfigurations accessed content management system 106 from differentlocations. This information can be used to detect and or identifyaccounts where the user login credentials have been shared amongstdifferent users.

In some implementations, content management system 106 can includeshared credential detection module 202. For example, shared credentialdetection module 202 can detect when a single user account is beingshared by multiple users based on the login context data stored in logincontext database 204. Shared credential detection module 202 can, forexample, analyze historical log in context data periodically (e.g.,based on a time interval) to determine whether the log in credentialsfor the user account are being shared among multiple users. Sharedcredential detection module 202 can, for example, analyze historical login context data in response to a user logging in to a user account todetermine whether the log in credentials for the user account are beingshared among multiple users. For example, authenticator module 126 cansend a message to shared credential module 202 when a user logs in to auser account to cause shared credential detection module 202 to performthe analysis of the historical log in context data. Shared credentialdetection module 202 can, for example, analyze historical log in contextdata in response to login context database 204 being updated with newlog in context data to determine whether the log in credentials for theuser account are being shared among multiple users.

When shared credential detection module 202 determines that a singleuser account is being shared by multiple users, shared credentialdetection module 202 can send a message to authenticator module 126indicating that the single user account is being shared by multipleusers. Authenticator module 126 (or other component of contentmanagement system 106) can present a notification to the user indicatingthat sharing a single account with multiple users is in violation ofcontent management system policy the user next time the user logs in tothe user account. In some implementations, authenticator module 126 canprevent the user from accessing the user account in response toreceiving the message from shared credential detection module 202indicating that the single user account is being shared by multipleusers.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example login context database 300. For example,database 300 can correspond to database 204 of FIG. 2. For ease ofexplanation, login context database 300 depicted in FIG. 3 only includesrecords for a single user account (e.g., “sfl@sfmc.org”). However, logincontext database 300 will typically include login context data for eachof the user accounts managed by content management system 106. Eachrecord (e.g., records 302-312) in login context database 300 cancorrespond to a respective login event and/or authentication attempt forthe identified user account. Each record can include a timestampcorresponding to the login event, an IP address corresponding to theclient device, a browser identifier (e.g., name, version, etc.), aclient application identifier (e.g., name, version, etc.), an operatingsystem identifier (e.g., name version, etc.) for the operating system ofthe client device, a device type (e.g., manufacturer, model, etc.) forthe client device, and/or a session identifier for the current loginsession between the client device (e.g., CMS client application) andcontent management system 106.

In some implementations, login context database 300 can includeadditional context data. For example, login context database 300 caninclude browser configuration settings, device configuration settings,client application configuration settings, device performancestatistics, and/or other device-specific information that can be used(e.g., in combination with the login context data described above) todetect when the same device has logged in to content management system106. For example, login context database 300 can include secondarydevice identification characteristics (e.g., other than a deviceidentifier, user identifier, MAC address, IP address, or other primarydevice or user identifiers, etc.). These secondary device identificationcharacteristics can include, for example, device language settings,display settings, accessories connected to the device, applicationsinstalled on the device, web browser plugins installed, CPUspecifications, volatile memory size, non-volatile storage size, and/orother subcomponent identifiers, specifications, and/or settingscollected from a CMS client device when a user logs in to contentmanagement system 106. These secondary device characteristics (e.g.,individually or in combination) can be used to create a signature or“fingerprint” for a CMS client device so that content management system106 (e.g., shared credential detection module 202) can determine ordetect when the same device (or different devices) has logged in tocontent management system 106. This fingerprint allows contentmanagement system 106 to identify a CMS client device even when thedevice identifier, IP address, or other information has been spoofed ordisguised.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the frequency of authentication attempts recorded for a useraccount in login context database 300. For example, shared credentialdetection module 202 can analyze the login context data (e.g., number oflogin records and corresponding timestamps) in login context database204 to determine a value based on a login frequency metric representinghow many times a user (or multiple users) has logged in to the useraccount within a period of time (e.g., user login frequency). Forexample, based on the number of records and the correspondingtimestamps, shared credential detection module 202 can determine that auser has logged in 15 times in the previous one hour. When the loginfrequency metric value (e.g., user login frequency) exceeds a thresholdlogin frequency (e.g., 10 log-ins per hour), shared credential detectionmodule 202 can determine that the user account is being accessed (e.g.,shared) by multiple users.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of client IP addresses recorded for the useraccount. For example, shared credential detection module 202 can analyzethe login context data (e.g., IP addresses) in login context database204 to determine a value based on an IP addresses metric representinghow many different client IP addresses have been recorded for the sameuser account (e.g., within a period of time). For example, based on therecorded IP addresses, shared credential detection module 202 candetermine that a user has logged in from 20 different IP addresses. Whenthe IP addresses metric value (e.g., number of different IP addresses)exceeds a threshold number of IP addresses (e.g., 12 IP addresses),shared credential detection module 202 can determine that the useraccount is being accessed (e.g., shared) by multiple users.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of different access locations determined for theuser account. For example, shared credential detection module 202 cananalyze the login context data (e.g., IP addresses) in login contextdatabase 204 to determine a value based on a client location metricrepresenting from how many different locations (e.g., countries,regions, etc.) the user has accessed the single user account (e.g.,within a period of time). For example, based on the recorded IPaddresses, shared credential detection module 202 can determine thecountries or geographic regions from which the user (or multiple users)has accessed the single user account. When the client location metricvalue (e.g., number of different locations) exceeds a threshold numberof locations (e.g., 6 locations), shared credential detection module 202can determine that the user account is being accessed (e.g., shared) bymultiple users.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of browser types recorded for the user account. Forexample, users of content management system 105 may log in to contentmanagement system 106 using a web client run in a web browser. Sharedcredential detection module 202 can analyze the login context data(e.g., browser identifiers) in login context database 204 to determine avalue based on a browser types metric representing how many differentbrowser types the user has used to access content management system 106(e.g., within a period of time). For example, based on the recordedbrowser identifiers, shared credential detection module 202 candetermine the different browsers used by the user (or multiple users) toaccess the single user account. When the browser types metric value(e.g., number of different browser types) exceeds a threshold number ofbrowser types (e.g., 4 browser types), shared credential detectionmodule 202 can determine that the user account is being accessed (e.g.,shared) by multiple users.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of different native CMS clients recorded for theuser account. For example, users of content management system 105 maylog in to content management system 106 using a native desktop or mobileCMS client run on a CMS client device (e.g., user device 220, userdevice 230). Shared credential detection module 202 can analyze thelogin context data (e.g., client identifiers) in login context database204 to determine a value based on a native clients metric representinghow many different CMS client types the user has used to access contentmanagement system 106 (e.g., within a period of time). For example,based on the recorded client identifiers, shared credential detectionmodule 202 can determine the different native clients used by the user(or multiple users) to access the single user account. When the nativeclients metric value (e.g., number of different native client types)exceeds a threshold number of client types (e.g., 4 native client types,versions, etc.), shared credential detection module 202 can determinethat the user account is being accessed (e.g., shared) by multipleusers.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of active login sessions recorded for the useraccount. For example, users of content management system 105 may log into content management system 106 using a web client, as described above.When the web client is used to log in to content management system 106,content management system 106 can send browser session data (e.g., anHTTP cookie) to the web browser running the web client. Contentmanagement system 106 can track the number of browser sessionsestablished using a session identifier, for example. The sessionidentifier can be recorded in login context database 300. Sharedcredential detection module 202 can analyze the login context data(e.g., session identifiers) in login context database 204 to determine avalue based on a login sessions metric representing how many differentsessions the user has started to access content management system 106(e.g., within a period of time). For example, based on the recordedsession identifiers, shared credential detection module 202 candetermine how many browser sessions were initiated by the user (ormultiple users) to access the single user account. When the loginsessions metric value (e.g., number of browser sessions) exceeds athreshold number of sessions (e.g., 5 browser sessions) sharedcredential detection module 202 can determine that the user account isbeing accessed (e.g., shared) by multiple users.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of logins received from anonymous proxy servers. Forexample, users of content management system 105 may log in to contentmanagement system 106 through an anonymous proxy server so that theuser's activity cannot be traced back to the user or the user's device.Content management system 106 can obtain and store informationidentifying anonymous proxy IP addresses and compare the IP addresses ofclient devices stored in login context database 300 to the anonymousproxy IP addresses to determine whether a client device has logged inthrough an anonymous proxy server. Content management system 106 cananalyze the IP addresses in login context database 300 to determine avalue based on an anonymous proxy metric representing how many userlogins for a single user account originated from an IP addressassociated with an anonymous proxy server (e.g., within a period oftime). When the anonymous proxy metric value (e.g., number of anonymouslogins) exceeds a threshold number of anonymous logins, sharedcredential detection module 202 can determine that the user account isbeing accessed (e.g., shared) by multiple users.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetect that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on the number of devices used to log in to the user account. Forexample, users of content management system 105 may log in to contentmanagement system 106 using different client devices (e.g., clientdevice 222, client device 232, etc.). While it may be normal that asingle user has several client devices (e.g., a smartphone, a laptopcomputer, a tablet computer, etc.), it is unusual that a single userwould use more than 10 different client devices to log in to contentmanagement system 106. Thus, content management system 106 can obtainand store login context information that can be used to generate aunique signature of fingerprint for each client device that is used tolog in to content management system 106. Content management system 106can analyze the login context data in login context database 300 togenerate client device signatures and determine a value based on anumber of devices metric representing how many different client deviceswere used to log in to the single user account (e.g., within a period oftime). When the number of devices metric value (e.g., number ofdifferent client devices) exceeds a threshold number of client devices(e.g., 8 devices), shared credential detection module 202 can determinethat the user account is being accessed (e.g., shared) by multipleusers.

In some implementations, shared credential detection module 202 candetermine that a single user account is being shared by multiple usersbased on a combination of the login context data described above. Forexample, shared credential detection module 202 can determine that asingle user account is being shared among multiple users based on asingle context data metric (e.g., frequency of logins only, number ofdifferent browsers only, number of different CMS clients only, etc.).Alternatively, shared credential detection module 202 can determine thata single user account is being shared among multiple users based on acombination of context data metrics (e.g., frequency of logins andnumber of different browsers and number of different CMS clients only,etc.).

In some implementations, the threshold values for login context metricscan be different (e.g., adjusted) based on whether a single metric isused or multiple metrics are used. For example, the frequency of loginattempts threshold value can be higher (e.g., 10 attempts per hour) whenonly the login frequency metric is used to determine that a single useraccount is being shared and lower (e.g., 6 attempts per hour) when thelogin frequency metric is combined with other login metrics to determinethat a single user account is being shared. For example, a loginfrequency metric threshold of 10 login attempts per hour may be enoughto determine that the single user account is being shared by multipleusers without considering the other login context data metrics. However,when the login frequency metric is combined with other metrics (e.g.,number of browser types used), a lower login frequency metric (e.g., 6attempts per hour) may be used to determine that the single user accountis being shared among multiple users.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process 400 for identifyingaccounts having shared credentials. For example, content managementsystem 106 can perform process 400 to determine when multiple users areaccessing the same user account managed by content management system106. Content management system 106 can infer that multiple users areusing the same account based on login context data that indicates that,for example, multiple different devices in multiple different locationsare accessing the same user account. The inference that multiple usersare accessing the same account naturally leads to the inference ordetermination that the login credentials for the user account have beenshared among the multiple users.

At step 402, content management system 106 can receive a login requestfor a user account from a user device. For example, content managementsystem 106 can manage multiple user accounts associated with multipleusers. Content management system 106 can receive a log in request from aclient device (e.g., user device 220, user device 230) or client devices(e.g., user device 220 and user device 230). The login request canidentify an account identifier that uniquely identifies a user accountmanaged by content management system 106. The login request can includea password that can be used by authenticator module 126 to authenticatethe user as the owner of the identified user account. Afterauthenticating the user using the account identifier and password,content management system 106 can allow the user to access theidentified user account.

At step 404, content management system 106 can obtain login context datafrom the user device. For example, during the login process (e.g., inthe login request) or after the user device logs in to contentmanagement system 106 (e.g., while the user device is interacting withcontent management system 106), content management system 106 canreceive login context data from the user device. The content managementsystem client application (e.g. web browser, native application, etc.)can, for example, send data to content management system describing theuser device, client application, configuration data, network connectiondata, etc., as described above.

At step 406, content management system 106 can store login context data.For example, content management system 106 can store login context datain login context database 204. For example, login context database 204(i.e., database 300) can store a database entry (e.g., record) thatincludes login context data collected for each attempt to log in to auser account managed by content management system 106.

At step 408, content management system 106 can generate a login metric.For example, content management system 106 can generate one or morelogin metrics based on the login context data stored in login contextdatabase 204. The login metrics can include a login frequency metric, anIP addresses metric, a client location metric, a browser types metric, anative clients metric, a login sessions metric, an anonymous proxymetric, a number of devices metric, and/or other login metrics, asdescribed above.

At step 410, content management system 106 can determine that thegenerated login metric exceeds a threshold value. For example, eachlogin metric generated by content management system 106 can have acorresponding threshold value that can be used to determine when a useraccount is being accessed by multiple users. The threshold values can bepredetermined or dynamically determined by content management system106. The threshold value for a particular metric can be adjusted basedon whether the login metric is analyzed individually or analyzed incombination with other login metrics. Multiple different thresholdvalues can be configured for a particular metric and used by contentmanagement system 106 based on whether the login metric is analyzedindividually or analyzed in combination with other login metrics, asdescribed above.

At step 412, content management system 106 can determine that the logincredentials for a user account are being shared between multiple userswhen the generated login metric exceeds a threshold value. For example,content management system 106 can determine or infer that multiple usersare using the same user account managed by content management system 106when one or more login metrics exceed corresponding threshold values, asdescribed above.

At step 414, content management system 106 can initiate remedial actionwith respect to the user account. For example, content management system106 can be configured with a use policy that specifies that a singleuser account can only be accessed or used by a single user. When contentmanagement system 106 determines that multiple users are sharing logincredentials and accessing a single user account, content managementsystem 106 can present a warning (e.g., when a user attempts to log into the user account) indicating that the users are in violation ofcontent management system policy and prompting the users to createdifferent, individual accounts with content management system 106. Insome implementations, content management system 106 can block access tothe user account when multiple users are accessing a single useraccount.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show example possible system embodiments. The moreappropriate embodiment will be apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art when practicing the present technology. Persons of ordinaryskill in the art will also readily appreciate that other systemembodiments are possible.

FIG. 5A illustrates a conventional system bus computing systemarchitecture 500 wherein the components of the system are in electricalcommunication with each other using a bus 505. Example system 500includes a processing unit (CPU or processor) 510 and a system bus 505that couples various system components including the system memory 515,such as read only memory (ROM) 520 and random access memory (RAM) 525,to the processor 510. The system 500 can include a cache of high-speedmemory connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated aspart of the processor 510. The system 500 can copy data from the memory515 and/or the storage device 530 to the cache 512 for quick access bythe processor 510. In this way, the cache can provide a performanceboost that avoids processor 510 delays while waiting for data. These andother modules can control or be configured to control the processor 510to perform various actions. Other system memory 515 may be available foruse as well. The memory 515 can include multiple different types ofmemory with different performance characteristics. The processor 510 caninclude any general purpose processor and a hardware module or softwaremodule, such as module 1 532, module 2 534, and module 3 536 stored instorage device 530, configured to control the processor 510 as well as aspecial-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporatedinto the actual processor design. The processor 510 may essentially be acompletely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores orprocessors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processormay be symmetric or asymmetric.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 500, an inputdevice 545 can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as amicrophone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphicalinput, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An outputdevice 535 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanismsknown to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodalsystems can enable a user to provide multiple types of input tocommunicate with the computing device 500. The communications interface540 can generally govern and manage the user input and system output.There is no restriction on operating on any particular hardwarearrangement and therefore the basic features here may easily besubstituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they aredeveloped.

Storage device 530 is a non-volatile memory and can be a hard disk orother types of computer readable media which can store data that areaccessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges,random access memories (RAMs) 525, read only memory (ROM) 520, andhybrids thereof.

The storage device 530 can include software modules 532, 534, 536 forcontrolling the processor 510. Other hardware or software modules arecontemplated. The storage device 530 can be connected to the system bus505. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs a particularfunction can include the software component stored in acomputer-readable medium in connection with the necessary hardwarecomponents, such as the processor 510, bus 505, display 535, and soforth, to carry out the function.

FIG. 5B illustrates a computer system 550 having a chipset architecturethat can be used in executing the described method and generating anddisplaying a graphical user interface (GUI). Computer system 550 is anexample of computer hardware, software, and firmware that can be used toimplement the disclosed technology. System 550 can include a processor510, representative of any number of physically and/or logicallydistinct resources capable of executing software, firmware, and hardwareconfigured to perform identified computations. Processor 510 cancommunicate with a chipset 560 that can control input to and output fromprocessor 510. In this example, chipset 560 outputs information tooutput 565, such as a display, and can read and write information tostorage device 570, which can include magnetic media, and solid statemedia, for example. Chipset 560 can also read data from and write datato RAM 575. A bridge 580 for interfacing with a variety of userinterface components 585 can be provided for interfacing with chipset560. Such user interface components 585 can include a keyboard, amicrophone, touch detection and processing circuitry, a pointing device,such as a mouse, and so on. In general, inputs to system 550 can comefrom any of a variety of sources, machine generated and/or humangenerated.

Chipset 560 can also interface with one or more communication interfaces590 that can have different physical interfaces. Such communicationinterfaces can include interfaces for wired and wireless local areanetworks, for broadband wireless networks, as well as personal areanetworks. Some applications of the methods for generating, displaying,and using the GUI disclosed herein can include receiving ordereddatasets over the physical interface or be generated by the machineitself by processor 510 analyzing data stored in storage 570 or 575.Further, the machine can receive inputs from a user via user interfacecomponents 585 and execute appropriate functions, such as browsingfunctions by interpreting these inputs using processor 510.

It can be appreciated that example systems 500 and 550 can have morethan one processor 510 or be part of a group or cluster of computingdevices networked together to provide greater processing capability.

For clarity of explanation, in some instances the present technology maybe presented as including individual functional blocks includingfunctional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps orroutines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardwareand software.

Any of the steps, operations, functions, or processes described hereinmay be performed or implemented by a combination of hardware andsoftware modules, alone or in combination with other devices. In anembodiment, a software module can be software that resides in memory ofa client device and/or one or more servers of a content managementsystem and perform one or more functions when a processor executes thesoftware associated with the module. The memory can be a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium.

In some embodiments the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, andmemories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit streamand the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readablestorage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals,electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

Methods according to the above-described examples can be implementedusing computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwiseavailable from computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise,for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, orsource code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used tostore instructions, information used, and/or information created duringmethods according to described examples include magnetic or opticaldisks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory,networked storage devices, and so on.

Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprisehardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety ofform factors. Typical examples of such form factors include laptops,smart phones, small form factor personal computers, personal digitalassistants, and so on. Functionality described herein also can beembodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also beimplemented on a circuit board among different chips or differentprocesses executing in a single device, by way of further example.

The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computingresources for executing them, and other structures for supporting suchcomputing resources are means for providing the functions described inthese disclosures.

Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explainaspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of theclaims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements insuch examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use theseexamples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further andalthough some subject matter may have been described in languagespecific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it isto be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claimsis not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. Forexample, such functionality can be distributed differently or performedin components other than those identified herein. Rather, the describedfeatures and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systemsand methods within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining, by a computingsystem, login context data from a user device, the login context datacorresponding to an attempt to log in to a user account managed by thecomputing system; creating, by the computing system, a fingerprint forthe user device; storing, by the computing system, the login contextdata and the fingerprint in association with an account identifiercorresponding to the user account; storing historical login context datacorresponding to a plurality of login attempts associated with the useraccount; in response to the attempt to log in to the user account:generating, by the computing system, a first value using a first loginmetric based on the historical login context data associated with theuser account and based on the fingerprint of the user device; and basedon the first value, initiating, by the computing system, a remedialaction for the user account.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating,by the computing system, the fingerprint for the user device, comprises:identifying characteristics of the user device, the characteristicsincluding at least one of device language settings, display settings,accessories connected to the user device, web browser plugins, processorspecifications, volatile memory size, non-volatile memory size, andsubcomponent identifiers.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstlogin metric is associated with a first threshold value, and wherein theremedial action for the user account is initiated responsive to thefirst login metric exceeding the first threshold value.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising: generating, by the computing system, asecond value using a second login metric based on the historical logincontext data associated with the user account and the fingerprint of theuser device, wherein the second login metric is associated with a secondthreshold value.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:inferring, by the computing system, that the user account is sharingcredentials with at least one other user based on the first login metricexceeding the first threshold value.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: based on the inferring, prompting, by the computing system,the at least one other user to create a new user account.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein the first login metric is a login frequency metric,and wherein generating the first value using the login frequency metriccomprises: analyzing the historical login context data for the useraccount to determine a number of times a user logged in to the useraccount.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first login metric is abrowser types metric, and wherein generating the first value using thebrowser types metric comprises: analyzing the historical login contextdata for the user account to determine a number of different browsertypes used by a user to log in to the user account.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first login metric is a native clients metric, andwherein generating the first value using the native clients metriccomprises: analyzing the historical login context data for the useraccount to determine a number of different clients used by a user to login to the user account.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstlogin metric is a login sessions metric, and wherein generating thefirst value using the login sessions metric comprises: analyzing thehistorical login context data for the user account to determine a numberof different sessions used by a user to log in to the user account. 11.The method of claim 1, wherein the first login metric is an anonymousproxy metric, and wherein generating the first value using the anonymousproxy metric comprises: analyzing the historical login context data forthe user account to determine a number of times a log in to the useraccount originated from an IP address associated with an anonymous proxyserver.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first login metric is anumber of devices metric, and wherein generating the first value usingthe number of devices metric comprises: analyzing the historical logincontext data for the user account to determine a number of differentclient devices used to log in to the user account over a thresholdperiod of time.
 13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprisingone or more sequences of instructions, which, when executed by one ormore processors, cause a computing system to perform operationscomprising: obtaining, by the computing system, login context data froma user device, the login context data corresponding to an attempt to login to a user account managed by the computing system; creating, by thecomputing system, a fingerprint for the user device; storing, by thecomputing system, the login context data and the fingerprint inassociation with an account identifier corresponding to the useraccount; storing historical login context data corresponding to aplurality of login attempts associated with the user account; inresponse to the attempt to log in to the user account: generating, bythe computing system, a first value using a first login metric based onthe historical login context data associated with the user account andthe fingerprint of the user device; and generating, by the computingsystem, a second value using a second login metric based on thehistorical login context data associated with the user account and thefingerprint of the user device; and based on the first value and thesecond value, initiating, by the computing system, a remedial action forthe user account.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 13, wherein creating, by the computing system, the fingerprint forthe user device, comprises: identifying characteristics of the userdevice that includes at least one of device language settings, displaysettings, accessories connected to the user device, web browser plugins,processor specifications, volatile memory size, non-volatile memorysize, and subcomponent identifiers.
 15. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 13, further comprising: inferring, by thecomputing system, that the user account is sharing credentials with atleast one other user based on the first value and the second value. 16.The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, furthercomprising: based on the inferring, prompting, by the computing system,the at least one other user to create a new user account.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the firstlogin metric is a login frequency metric, and wherein generating thefirst value using the login frequency metric comprises: analyzing thehistorical login context data for the user account to determine a numberof times a user logged in to the user account.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first login metric isa browser types metric, and wherein generating the first value using thebrowser types metric comprises: analyzing the historical login contextdata for the user account to determine a number of different browsertypes used by a user to log in to the user account.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the firstlogin metric is a native clients metric, and wherein generating thefirst value using the native clients metric comprises: analyzing thehistorical login context data for the user account to determine a numberof different clients used by a user to log in to the user account.
 20. Asystem comprising: one or more processors; and a memory havingprogramming code stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, causes the system to perform operations comprising:detecting a log in attempt to a user account managed by the system;obtaining login context data from a user device associated with the login attempt; creating a fingerprint for the user device; storing thelogin context data and the fingerprint in association with an accountidentifier corresponding to the user account; accessing historical logincontext data corresponding to a plurality of login attempts associatedwith the user account; in response to the attempt to log in to the useraccount: generating a first value using a first login metric based onthe historical login context data associated with the user account andthe fingerprint of the user device; and based on the first value,initiating a remedial action for the user account.